Alfonso Fanjul and Family Honored as Everglades Agricultural Area Farm Family of the Year

Alfonso Fanjul and his family have been recognized by the Western Palm Beach County Farm Bureau as the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) 2016 Farm Family of the Year. The award was presented on November 9 by John L. Hundley, Chairman of the Board of the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida, at Ray’s Heritage Packing House in Belle Glade.

The award is given to farm families who exhibit excellence in their commitment to agriculture and civic engagement in the Glades region of western Palm Beach County, where the Fanjul family has been farming since 1960.

The family’s companies, Fanjul Corp. and Florida Crystals Corporation, produce sugarcane, rice and sweetcorn, throughout the Everglades Agricultural Area, which is one of the world’s most productive and sustainable agricultural basins. In addition to providing thousands of jobs for EAA farmers, the Fanjul family has been an integral part of the community for decades through their charitable support, particularly their efforts to improve access to high-quality education and to reduce hunger.

“Everywhere you go in the Glades communities and throughout Palm Beach County, you see the Fanjul name,” said County Commissioner Melissa McKinlay, who attended the award presentation. “From schools for children that need a second chance to food banks to all sorts of education and charitable programs, they’re everywhere.”

For instance, the Fanjul family founded New Hope Charities, a grassroots nonprofit that provides services for children and families in western Palm Beach County ranging from daycare and health care to food distribution. The Fanjul family also founded two charter schools in Pahokee, Everglades Preparatory Academy and Glades Academy, to increase educational opportunities for families in the Glades.

“We’re really humbled,” said Andres Fanjul upon receiving the award, echoing the sentiments of the rest of the Fanjul family. “It’s an incredible opportunity. When I read all the families that have won this award in the past, it’s an honor to be included as part of that group.”